The Trouble With a Blog....

I love having a blog!  Writing out my thoughts has been therapeutic for me.  There are a million...maybe even a gazillion...things that I think about in a day.  Thoughts are constantly swirling in my head, and sometimes I feel like I just need to throw them out...out on paper, that is.  So, I don't really have any idea how many people read my blog, but it doesn't really matter.  In the end, the blog has been a wonderful outlet for me, and hopefully, something nice that I can have for my children later on so that they can read how deeply I loved and cherished them, and hopefully, they can see, even with all my failures, how much I desired to follow Christ and bring glory to His name. 

So, what is the trouble with a blog?  Well, for someone like me who is ALWAYS worried about offending people or being misunderstood, a blog can be very troubling.  I have never removed a post that I have written, but I have been tempted.  I almost always ask Greg to read my posts before I actually post them, and I often use his suggestions for changing words or phrases.  I sometimes wonder what a specific person thinks of a post that I have written, because I know that they probably think I have gone off the deep end.  And...perhaps I have...:)  But I think God calls us to "dive in and go deep".   I also think that sometimes (okay, many times) the truth is offensive, and we either keep silent or try to say the truth with grace.

There have been times that I have written a post for my blog in my mind, but have never gotten to the computer with it, sometimes out of fear and sometimes for lack of time.

If you know me, you know that I can be very passionate.  I am not a good face to face debater, but if I have time to think and write and rewrite, I can usually get my thoughts out on paper.  I don't like controversy and I don't like being at odds with anyone!  So, my passionate opinions are most of the time saved for my husband, who is quite passionate about most of the same things, I might add.  We make a great pair! :)

Some bloggers prefer to just write about family life, and they stick with wonderful pictures and stories about their kids.  I don't read about their deep thoughts or dreams, but I enjoy reading about their family.  I have found it impossible for me to have a blog without sharing many of my deep thoughts and dreams.  It just wouldn't be my blog if I didn't share my heart with you.  That is how I work.  However, writing like that can come with a price...misunderstanding, judgements, etc.  That bothers me, but I have accepted it, because the alternatives are to either not have a blog and keep my thoughts to myself or just to keep my writing on the surface of my heart, and I can't do that...I don't know why, I just can't. 

Anyway, I guess in this post I just want to say thank you to all of you who read about "This Grace Filled Life" of mine/ours.  And I want you to know that I realize that you may not always agree with my (our) decisions or conclusions...or agree with my "rants", but that's OK.  I hope you can still love me anyway.  And I hope you know that I always welcome friendly discussions about anything I have written. 
Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." 

I truly do love you all...those whom I know personally and my blog friends, many of whom God has given the same passions.